Systems and methods for providing emergency contact services

ABSTRACT

An emergency contact platform provides emergency contact services where usual communications have been disrupted. The emergency contact platform may include a server to receive registration information including a phone number associated with a phone when communication using the phone is impracticable. The server may also be configured to receive an information request identifying the phone number. The emergency contact platform may also include a database to store the received registration information. The server may be also configured to perform a lookup in the database based on the phone number and provide a result of the lookup based on the received information request.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 based on U.S.Provisional Application No. 60/714,045 filed Sep. 2, 2005, thedisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to communications and, more particularly,to communication platforms that may enable communications among partieswhere usual communications means of have been disrupted.

BACKGROUND

During and following an event, such as an emergency situation, a naturaldisaster, or a catastrophe affecting parties within a particulargeographic area, a need frequently exists for the affected parties tomake contact with or be contacted by family members and other interestedparties. For example, a hurricane may cause significant flooding, winddamage, and destruction along a coastal area, disrupting communicationsand other infrastructure, as well as displacing area residents. Aftersuch an occurrence, a need may exist to restore communications so thataffected parties can locate one another, verify their well-being, assistone another, and the like. It is also important to promptly restorecommunications so that recovery and relief efforts may be directed torestore living conditions in the affected area.

Even where some communications abilities remain partially or fullyintact, communications systems may be overwhelmed with high trafficinvolving affected parties. If an affected party has been physicallydisplaced (e.g., the affected party's home has been destroyed by ahurricane), then repeated call attempts to a home phone number or randomcalls to shelters and hospitals trying to locate the displaced partyonly compound the burden on the communications infrastructure. Asidefrom the need for affected parties to reach parties not in the affectedarea (or vice versa), often a need exists for parties within theaffected area to contact each other, such as family members who havebecome separated during a major disaster.

Often, the most critical information that one party seeks about anotheris simply whether they have survived, their condition, and theirlocation or how they can be reached. A party who is physically displacedor otherwise affected by a catastrophic event may not be reachable atthe usual telephone number or via other forms communication which othersare accustomed to using to reach the affected party. Even where theaffected party eventually reaches an alternative location at whichinbound communications may be received, it is difficult for the affectedparty to inform other parties of the affected party's whereabouts andhow the affected party may be reached at the alternative location.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the invention, a method of providingcommunication services is provided. The method may include receiving, byan emergency contact platform, an inquiry from a first party when asecond party is unable to receive communications via a telephone numberassociated with the second party, where the inquiry identifies thetelephone number. The method may also include performing a lookup in adatabase based on the telephone number. The method may also includedetermining whether contact information associated with the telephonenumber is stored in the database based on a result of the lookup. Inaddition, the method may include selectively receiving notificationinformation from the first party when the result indicates that thecontact information is not stored in the database.

According to another aspect of the invention, a system including anemergency contact platform is provided. The platform may include aserver to receive registration information including a phone numberassociated with a phone when communication using the phone isimpracticable, and to receive an information request identifying thephone number; and a database to store the received registrationinformation, where the server is configured to perform a lookup in thedatabase based on the phone number and provide a result of the lookupbased on the received information request.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, a communicationsplatform is provided. The platform may include means for registering atelephone number associated with a registrant, where the registrationincludes alternate contact information associated with the registrant.The platform may also include means for storing the alternate contactinformation. The platform may also include means for receiving aninquiry for the alternate contact information from an inquirer, wherethe inquiry identifies at least one of the registrant or the telephonenumber. The platform may also include means for retrieving the storedalternate contact information based on the inquiry. The platform mayalso include means for providing the retrieved alternate contactinformation to the inquirer. In addition, the platform may include meansfor enabling communication between the registrant and the inquirer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate an implementation consistent withthe principles of the invention and, together with the description,explain the invention. In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an exemplary system in which methods and systemsconsistent with the invention may be implemented;

FIG. 2 is an exemplary block diagram of the server of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are exemplary diagrams of databases that may beassociated with the server of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an exemplary emergency contact platformregistration call flow consistent with the principles of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an exemplary emergency contact platform inquirycall flow consistent with the principles of the invention; and

FIG. 6 is an exemplary emergency contact system in which methods andsystems consistent with the invention may be implemented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description of implementations consistent withthe principles of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings. Thesame reference numbers in different drawings may identify the same orsimilar elements. Also, the following detailed description does notlimit the invention. Instead, the scope of the invention is defined bythe appended claims and their equivalents.

Overview

Implementations consistent with the principles of the invention providea communications platform, e.g., an emergency contact platform, forfacilitating notifications between parties when an emergency event,e.g., a disaster, has affected the use of a party's normaltelecommunications service. When an inquiring party interacts with theemergency contact platform, it may be determined whether acommunications identifier, e.g., a phone number associated with theparty being sought (the “affected party”), has been registered with theemergency contact platform. In cases where the phone number has beenregistered, registration information, e.g., contact information for theaffected party, may be provided to the inquiring party by thecommunications platform. In this way, communication may be enabledbetween the inquiring party and the affected party.

Exemplary System

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary system 100 in which methodsand systems consistent with the principles of the invention may beimplemented. System 100 may include communication devices 110A and 110B(referred collectively as communication devices 110) and an emergencycontact platform 130 that connect via a network 120. The exemplaryconfiguration illustrated in FIG. 1 is provided for simplicity. It is tobe appreciated that a typical system could include more or fewercommunication devices 110, and more emergency contact platforms 130 andnetworks 120 than illustrated in FIG. 1.

Furthermore, various links shown as connecting the elements may be wiredor wireless links or any combination thereof, or any other known orlater developed element(s) that is capable of supplying and/orcommunicating data to and from the connected elements. Additionally, itshould be appreciated that while various functional components areillustrated, various other components may also be included. For example,a conference bridge device/platform (not shown) configured to link twoor more parties via a conference call and the associated analog and/ordigital telephony, circuits, gateways, databases, switching devices,routers, firewalls, software, security components, etc., for supportingthe conference call may be included in system 100. These and otherdevices may enable communications involving at least a first and asecond party.

Communication devices 110 may include any device that may interface witha network, such as network 120, to send and receive voice signals. Forexample, communication devices 110 may include a plain old telephonesystem (POTS) phone, a cordless telephone, a cellular telephone, or anyother type of telephone device. Communication devices 110 may alsoinclude, for example, a session initiation protocol (SIP)-basedtelephone device or another voice over Internet protocol (VoIP)-basedtelephone device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or any othermulti-function device with telephony capabilities. Communication devices110 may also include a computer device, a web-based appliance, etc. thatmay be configured to provide telephone functions.

Network 120 may include a public switched telephone network (PSTN), theInternet, an intranet, a WAN, and/or another type of network that iscapable of transmitting voice and/or data signals from a source deviceto a destination device. Network 120 may further include one or morewireless networks and may include a number of transmission towers, basestations, etc., for receiving wireless signals and forwarding thewireless signals toward the intended destination. System 100 may includeother types of networks, such as a private branch exchange (PBX), a LAN,and the like.

Emergency contact platform 130 may include any number of software orhardware-controlled devices or various other components that may becooperatively configured to provide contact information for affectedparties, as described in more detail below. For example, as illustratedin FIG. 1, emergency contact platform 130 may include a server 140 and adatabase 150. It will be appreciated that emergency contact platform 130may include other devices, such as an automated call distributor (ACD),a speech synthesizer, a voice response platform or services node, suchas an interactive voice response (IVR) unit, a conference bridgedevice/platform, and the like that may facilitate communications insystem 100.

Server 140 may include a computer device that may manage resources ofemergency contact platform 130, enable connection to communicationdevices 110 via network 120, and perform lookups in database 150.Exemplary components of server 140 are illustrated in FIG. 2 and detailsregarding the specific functionality of server 140 are set forth inadditional detail below.

Database 150 may include any storage device capable of storing data thatmay be supplied and/or accessed by server 140. Server 140 and database150 are illustrated in FIG. 1 as being connected in emergency contactplatform 130. That is, database 150 may be located externally fromserver 140, as shown. In alternative implementations, the functionsperformed by server 140 and database 150 may be performed by a singledevice/platform. Database 150 may include a group of databases thatinclude a number of database fields in any configuration as shown, forexample, in FIGS. 3A and 3B. Details regarding the specificfunctionality of database 150 are set forth in additional detail below.

In an exemplary implementation consistent with the invention, server 140and database 150 may enable an inquiring party to communicate with anaffected party whose registration information is retrievably stored atemergency contact platform 130. In still further implementations, thefunctions performed by emergency contact platform 130 may be performedby multiple devices/platforms.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary configuration of server 140 in animplementation consistent with the invention. Other configurations mayalternatively be used. Server 140 may include a bus 210, a processor220, a memory 230, a read only memory (ROM) 240, a storage device 250,an input device 260, an output device 270, and a communication interface280. Bus 210 permits communication among the components of server 140.

Processor 220 may include any type of processor or microprocessor thatinterprets and executes instructions. Memory 230 may include a randomaccess memory (RAM) or another dynamic storage device that storesinformation and instructions for execution by processor 220. Memory 230may also be used to store temporary variables or other intermediateinformation during execution of instructions by processor 220.

ROM 240 may include a ROM device and/or another static storage devicethat stores static information and instructions for processor 220.Storage device 250 may include a magnetic disk or optical disk and itscorresponding drive and/or some other type of magnetic or opticalrecording medium and its corresponding drive for storing information andinstructions.

Input device 260 may include one or more mechanisms that permit anoperator to input information to server 140, such as a keyboard, amouse, a pen, voice recognition, and/or biometric mechanisms, etc.Output device 270 may include one or more mechanisms that outputinformation to the operator, including a display, a printer, one or morespeakers, etc.

Communication interface 280 may include any transceiver-like mechanismthat enables server 140 to communicate with other devices and/orsystems. For example, communication interface 280 may include a modem oran Ethernet interface to a LAN. Alternatively, communication interface280 may include other mechanisms for communicating via a network, suchas network 120.

Server 140, consistent with the invention, provides a platform throughwhich a party using communication device 110A may register informationwithin database 150, and a party using communication device 110B mayaccess the registration information stored in database 150. According toan exemplary implementation, server 140 may perform various processes inresponse to processor 220 executing sequences of instructions containedin memory 230. Such instructions may be read into memory 230 fromanother computer-readable medium, such as storage device 250, or from aseparate device via communication interface 280. It should be understoodthat a computer-readable medium may include one or more memory devicesor carrier waves. Execution of the sequences of instructions containedin memory 230 may cause processor 220 to perform acts that will bedescribed hereafter. In alternative embodiments, hard-wired circuitrymay be used in place of or in combination with software instructions toimplement the present invention. Thus, the present invention is notlimited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry/software.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate exemplary databases that may be associatedwith database 150 in an implementation consistent with the principles ofthe invention. For example, database 150 may include a registrationdatabase 310 and an inquiry database 320. Database 150 may also includeother associated databases.

In FIG. 3A, registration database 310, consistent with the principles ofthe invention, may include registration information stored in thefollowing exemplary fields: a registered phone number field 311, anidentification (“ID”) information field 312, a contact information field314, and a message field 315. Other fields may also be included inregistration database 310, in a table, or in any other format.

Registered phone number field 311 may store a registered telephonenumber or other communication identifier associated with an affectedparty, which may be used to reference the affected party's registrationinformation. ID information field 312 may store the identity of one ormore affected parties associated with the registered phone number. Forexample, ID information field 312 may include personal information, suchas a birth date, a maiden name, a home address, a social securitynumber, or some other information identifiable with the affected party,for example, where more than one affected party is registered inassociation with a particular registered phone number.

Contact information field 314 may store a phone number, an e-mailaddress, a fax number, an instant messaging (“IM”) screen name, a pagernumber, a physical address, an individual's name, a name of a facilityor an organization, and the like, at which the affected party may becontacted. Message field 315 may store a selected pre-generated messageor a personalized message from the affected party, such as an audiomessage. For example, a pre-generated message may include a generalmessage that indicates a status condition and/or a location of theaffected party (e.g., “The party you are seeking has been temporarilyrelocated to the Houston Astrodome.”). In one implementation, messagefield 315 may store a value corresponding to a message that is storedelsewhere in emergency contact platform 130, for example, storage device250.

In FIG. 3B, inquiry database 320, consistent with the invention, mayinclude inquiry information stored in the following exemplary fields: aphone number field 321, an inquiring party field 322, a callbackinformation field 323, a message field 324, an affected party field 325,and a notification field 326. Other fields may also be included ininquiry database 320, in a table, or in any other format.

Phone number field 321 may store a telephone number or otheridentification information (e.g., a name) associated with an affectedparty, which may be received from an inquiring party for referencing acorresponding inquiry. Inquiring party field 322 may store the names ofone or more inquiring parties associated with the corresponding inquiry.Callback information field 323 may store a telephone number, an IMscreen name, a pager number, a facsimile number, an e-mail address, aphysical address, a name of an individual, a name of a facility or anorganization, and the like associated with the inquiring party thatallows emergency contact platform 130 to contact the inquiring party.

Message field 324 may store a selected pre-generated message or apersonalized message from the inquiring party, such as an audio message.In one implementation, message field 324 may store a value correspondingto a message that is stored elsewhere in emergency contact platform 130,for example, storage device 250. Affected party field 325 may store thename of one or more affected parties associated with the phone number offield 321. Notification field 326 may store an indication for notifyingthe inquiring party in the event of a subsequent registration of thephone number of field 321.

Databases 310 and 320 may be used to facilitate contact between anaffected party and an inquiring party respectively performingregistration and inquiry operations via emergency contact platform 130.Databases 310 and 320 may also be used to acquire and record data toenable the service provider associated with emergency contact platform130 to assess a fee for the contact services associated with use ofemergency contact platform 130.

Exemplary Processing

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an exemplary registration handling process400, consistent with the principles of the invention, for registering aphone number associated with a party affected by, for example, a naturaldisaster, which renders the phone number unusable by the affected party.In exemplary registration handling process 400, it is assumed that theaffected party is attempting to register a phone number which has notbeen previously registered with emergency contact platform 130, or toupdate registration information associated with a phone number which hasbeen previously registered with emergency contact platform 130.

Exemplary registration handling process 400 may begin with the affectedparty (or someone else on behalf of the affected party) usingcommunication device 110A, for example, to contact emergency contactplatform 130 (act 402). Access to emergency contact platform 130 may beaccomplished by any suitable method, for example, via a dedicated phonenumber, a web address, an e-mail address, an access number associatedwith a calling card, a toll-free telephone number, call forwarding,operator assistance, etc. Once connected, emergency contact platform 130may provide a greeting and/or introductory message to the affectedparty. Any of the interactions between a caller and emergency contactplatform 130 as depicted in FIGS. 4 and 5 and elsewhere herein may beaccomplished using a fully automatic voice response system, a liveoperator, or a combination thereof.

In one implementation, once accessed, emergency contact platform 130 mayprompt the affected party to provide a communication identifier, e.g., aphone number, for registration (act 404). For example, the prompt mayinclude a script read by a call assistant, an interactive menu providedby an IVR unit, and the like. This prompt or any other may becommunicated in any number of languages. In response to the prompt byemergency contact platform 130, the affected party may provide thetelephone number, for example, by using a keypad, a voice response, agraphic user interface, etc. Emergency contact platform 130 may receivethe provided response, for example, using server 140. In oneimplementation, emergency contact platform 130 may request the affectedparty to provide authentication information associated with the receivedphone number prior to performing further registration acts.

Emergency contact platform 130 may determine whether the received phonenumber has been previously registered (act 406). In one implementation,server 140 may perform a lookup in database 150 for the received phonenumber. For example, the received phone number may be compared to theregistered phone numbers that are stored in registered phone numberfield 311 of database 310. When emergency contact platform 130determines that the received phone number has not been previouslyregistered, emergency contact platform 130 may register (i.e., store)the received telephone number in database 150, for example, inregistered phone number field 311 of database 310. Emergency contactplatform 130 may record the date and/or time of the registration (or anyother interaction with emergency contact platform 130), which emergencycontact platform 130 may subsequently provide to an affected partyand/or an inquiring party upon the party making a request for same.

Emergency contact platform 130 may obtain, from the affected party,registration information associated with the registered phone number(act 408). This registration information may include or be associatedwith one or more of the following formats: an audio message(pre-generated or personalized), a textual message, and a string ofnumbers or responses to prompts from the platform. An arbitrary message,such as a string of numbers, may be stored and exchanged with othercallers as a way of communicating, even if the emergency contactplatform 130 has no knowledge of the significance of the numbers. Insome implementations, text messages may be composed through interactionwith the platform, such as by appropriate use of a ‘touchtone’ keypad bythe caller. In one implementation, emergency contact platform 130 mayprompt the affected party to provide identity information forassociation with the registered phone number. In response to the promptby emergency contact platform 130, the affected party may provide a nameor other identification information, as described above, that may beused, for example, to distinguish the affected party from other affectedparties that may be associated with the registered phone number.Emergency contact platform 130 may receive the provided response, forexample, using server 140. In one implementation, emergency contactplatform 130 may store the received name in database 150, for example,in ID information field 312 of database 310.

Emergency contact platform 130 may prompt the affected party to providecontact information for association with the registered phone number. Inresponse to the prompt by emergency contact platform 130, the affectedparty may provide contact information, as described above, for example,for sending communications to the affected party, and/or providing to aninquiring party. Emergency contact platform 130 may receive the providedresponse, for example, using server 140. In one implementation,emergency contact platform 130 may store the received contactinformation in database 150, for example, in contact information field314 of database 310.

Emergency contact platform 130 may prompt the affected party to providea message for association with the registered phone number. In responseto the prompt by emergency contact platform 130, which may include amenu of pre-generated messages, the affected party may select apre-generated message or provide a personalized message, such as anaudio file that may be provided to an inquiring party. Emergency contactplatform 130 may receive the provided response, for example, usingserver 140. In one implementation, emergency contact platform 130 maystore the received message in database 150, for example, in messagefield 315 of database 310. In one implementation, when an affected partydesires to convey information including their whereabouts, andespecially in a implementation of emergency contact platform 130 thatdoes not accommodate audio messages, the affected party may interactwith an IVR menu to specify their location by using, for example, thealphabet associated with a typical ‘touchtone’ keypad to find matchingnames of cities, states, facilities, addresses or other locationidentifiers.

In one implementation, emergency contact platform 130 may perform bulkregistration of a number of received phone numbers and/or affectedparties. Emergency contact platform 130 may associate a pre-generatedmessage with each of the registered phone numbers and/or affectedparties registered en masse, for example, in lieu of personalizedmessages and/or individual contact information. For example,registration information for a bulk-registered affected party mayinclude a message indicating that the affected party being sought hasbeen temporarily relocated to a specific location.

Emergency contact platform 130 may determine whether an inquiry haspreviously been received for the registered phone number (act 410)(i.e., someone seeking the affected party has already inquired about thephone number), as described in more detail below. When emergency contactplatform 130 determines that an inquiry has not previously been receivedfor the registered phone number, registration handling process 400 mayend, or, alternatively, emergency contact platform 130 may perform otheracts, such as act 420, which is described in detail below.Alternatively, when emergency contact platform 130 determines that aninquiry has previously been received for the registered phone number,emergency contact platform 130 may indicate the same and/or provide theinquiry information to the affected party (act 412), including theinquirer's name and/or the date and time of the inquiry.

In one implementation, emergency contact platform 130 may prompt theaffected party to indicate whether the affected party desires to beconnected to the inquiring party (act 413), where the inquiring partyhas provided callback information that may be stored, for example, incallback information field 323, as described in more detail below. Whenemergency contact platform 130 determines that the inquiring party doesnot desire to be connected and/or that the inquiring party is not ableto be connected, registration handling process 400 may end, or,alternatively, emergency contact platform 130 may perform other acts,such as act 420, which is described in detail below. Alternatively, whenemergency contact platform 130 determines that the inquiring party doesdesire to be connected, emergency contact platform 130 may establish theconnection using the callback information (act 415). In oneimplementation, emergency contact platform 130 may make successiveattempts to contact the inquiring party by using any of a number ofcontact alternatives provided by the inquiring party when a previousattempt is unsuccessful.

Returning now to act 406, when emergency contact platform 130alternatively determines that the received phone number has beenpreviously registered, emergency contact platform 130 may provide to theaffected party the registration information that has been previouslyregistered (act 414). The registration information may include or beassociated with one or more of the following formats: an audio message(pre-generated or personalized), a textual message, and a string ofnumbers or responses to prompts from emergency platform 130. In oneimplementation, emergency contact platform 130 may provide the dateand/or time of previous registration and/or provide the messageassociated with the registration. In another implementation, emergencycontact platform 130 may connect the affected party to previouslyregistered affected parties using the corresponding contact information.

Emergency contact platform 130 may determine whether the affected partydesires to update any of the registration information or to add anadditional affected party associated with the registered phone number(act 416). When emergency contact platform 130 determines that theaffected party does not desire to update some or all of the registrationinformation and/or add an additional affected party, registrationhandling process 400 may end, or, alternatively, emergency contactplatform 130 may perform other acts, such as act 420, which is describedin detail below. Alternatively, when emergency contact platform 130determines that the affected party desires to update some or all of theregistration information and/or add an additional affected party,emergency contact platform 130 may obtain, from the affected party,updated registration information associated with the registered phonenumber and/or ID information for the additional affected party (act418).

In one implementation, emergency contact platform 130 may prompt theaffected party to provide updated registration information associatedwith the registered phone number. In response to the prompt by emergencycontact platform 130, the affected party may provide additional ormodified ID information, contact information, and/or a messageassociated with the registered phone number. Emergency contact platform130 may receive the response, for example, using server 140, and maystore the received updated information in the appropriate field ofdatabase 310.

In one implementation, emergency contact platform 130 may prompt theaffected party to provide ID information for the additional affectedparty. In response to the prompt by emergency contact platform 130, theaffected party may provide a name that may be used, for example, todistinguish the additional affected party from the other affectedparties associated with the registered phone number. Emergency contactplatform 130 may receive the response, for example, using server 140,and store the received name in database 150, for example, in IDinformation field 312 of database 310.

At this point, registration handling process 400 may end, or,alternatively, emergency contact platform 130 may perform other acts. Inone implementation, for example, emergency contact platform 130 maygenerate a notification to a designated affected party and/or inquiringparty (act 420) who has requested to be notified of any registrationactivity with emergency contact platform 130 associated with theregistered phone number and/or the affected party.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of an exemplary inquiring handling process 500,consistent with the principles of the invention, for inquiring regardinga phone number associated with a party affected by, for example, anatural disaster, which renders the phone number unusable to theaffected party. In exemplary inquiring handling process 500, it isassumed that the inquiring party is attempting to obtain contactinformation for an affected party who may or may not have registeredwith emergency contact platform 130.

Exemplary inquiry handling process 500 may begin with the inquiringparty (or someone else on behalf of the inquiring party) usingcommunication device 110B, for example, to contact emergency contactplatform 130 (act 502). Access to emergency contact platform 130 may beaccomplished by any suitable method, for example, via a dedicated phonenumber, a web address, an e-mail address, an access number associatedwith a calling card, a toll-free telephone number, call forwarding,operator assistance, etc.

In one implementation, access to emergency contact platform 130 forinquiries may be accomplished via a toll-free number that differs fromthe number used to access emergency contact platform 130 forregistration. In another implementation, a service provider mayautomatically forward calls to telephone numbers within an affectedarea, for example, by designating an area code or telephone exchange forforwarding to emergency contact platform 130. Once connected, emergencycontact platform 130 may provide an introductory message to theinquiring party. In one implementation, the introductory message mayinclude general information regarding the relevant emergency event,which may be provided by a responsible government agency or ahumanitarian relief organization.

In one implementation, once accessed, emergency contact platform 130 mayprompt the inquiring party to provide a phone number or other IDinformation for the affected party for performing the inquiry (act 504).For example, the prompt may include a script read by a call assistant,an interactive menu provided by an IVR unit, and the like. This promptor any other may be communicated in any number of languages.

In response to the prompt by emergency contact platform 130, theinquiring party may provide the telephone number, for example, by usinga keypad, a voice response, a graphic user interface, etc. Emergencycontact platform 130 may receive the response, for example, using server140. Emergency contact platform 130 may record the date and/or time ofthe inquiry (or any other interaction with emergency contact platform130), which emergency contact platform 130 may subsequently provide toan affected party (or an inquiring party).

Emergency contact platform 130 may determine whether the received phonenumber has been previously registered (act 506). In one implementation,server 140 may perform a lookup in database 150 for the received phonenumber. For example, the received phone number may be compared to theregistered phone numbers that are stored in registered phone numberfield 311 of database 310.

When emergency contact platform 130 determines that the received phonenumber has been previously registered, emergency contact platform 130may prompt the inquiring party to provide ID information for theaffected party where more than one party is associated with theregistered phone number (act 508). In response to the prompt byemergency contact platform 130, the inquiring party may provide a namethat may be used, for example, to distinguish the affected party fromthe other registered affected parties associated with the received phonenumber. Emergency contact platform 130 may receive the response, forexample, using server 140.

Emergency contact platform 130 may retrieve some or all of theregistration information associated with the registered phone numberbased on the received name of the affected party. In one implementation,server 140 may perform a lookup in database 310 for the registrationinformation associated with the received phone number. For example,server 140 may retrieve the contact information stored in contactinformation field 314 and/or the message stored in message field 315 ofdatabase 310. Emergency contact platform 130 may provide some or all ofthe retrieved registration information to the inquiring party, forexample, via server 140 (act 510), including date and time of lastcontact with the affected party.

Emergency contact platform 130 may determine whether the retrievedcontact information includes a contact telephone number (act 512). Whenemergency contact platform 130 determines that the retrieved contactinformation does not include a contact telephone number, inquiryhandling process 500 may proceed to act 518, which is described indetail below. When emergency contact platform 130 determines that theretrieved contact information does include a contact telephone number,emergency contact platform 130 may determine whether the inquiring partydesires to be connected to the telephone number (act 514).

When emergency contact platform 130 determines that the inquiring partydoes not desire to be connected to the contact telephone number, inquiryhandling process 500 may end. When emergency contact platform 130determines that the inquiring party does desire to be connected to thecontact telephone number, emergency contact platform 130 may establish aconnection using the contact telephone number (act 516). In oneimplementation, the connection may be established via server 140.

In one implementation, emergency contact platform 130 may restrict theduration of the connection to a predetermined amount of time. In yetanother implementation, a release link trunking (RLT) process may beused to accomplish the connection. Once the connection is establishedand/or terminated, inquiry handling process 500 may end, or,alternatively, include additional acts.

In one implementation, emergency contact platform 130 may determine thatconnectivity to the contact telephone number is not available, forexample, due to call volume, current use, etc. For example, emergencycontact platform 130 may attempt to call the contact telephone numberand discover that the trunk is full or receive a “busy” signal. Whenemergency contact platform 130 determines that the desired connectioncannot be established, emergency contact platform 130 may inform theinquiring party that the line is busy, circuits are full, etc.

In one implementation, emergency contact platform 130 may determinewhether the inquiring party is available to be contacted, using apresence indicator associated with the inquiring party. For example, apresence indicator that is associated with the inquiring party asdescribed in the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) document, RFC2778, may be used. In one implementation, emergency contact platform 130may make successive attempts to contact the inquiring party by using anyof a number of contact alternatives provided by the inquiring party whena previous attempt is unsuccessful.

Returning now to act 506, when emergency contact platform 130 determinesthat the received phone number has been not registered, emergencycontact platform 130 may store the received phone number in database150, for example, in phone number field 321 of database 320. In eithercase where the received phone number has not been registered or thecontact information for the registered phone number does not include acontact telephone number (from act 512), emergency contact platform 130may determine whether the inquiring party desires to be notified whenthe phone number is subsequently registered or when the contactinformation associated with the registered phone number is subsequentlyupdated to include a contact telephone number (act 518). When emergencycontact platform 130 determines that the inquiring party desires to benotified in either circumstance, emergency contact platform 130 mayobtain, from the inquiring party, inquiry information associated withthe phone number (act 520).

In one implementation, emergency contact platform 130 may prompt theinquiring party to provide an identity of the inquiring party forassociation with the phone number. In response to the prompt byemergency contact platform 130, the inquiring party may provide a nameor other identification information. Emergency contact platform 130 mayreceive the provided response, for example, using server 140, and storethe received name in database 150, for example, in inquiring party field322 of database 320. In one implementation, the name of the inquiringparty may be automatically obtained from an automatic numberidentification (ANI) associated with the call placed to emergencycontact platform 130.

In one implementation, emergency contact platform 130 may prompt theinquiring party to provide callback information for association with thephone number. In response to the prompt by emergency contact platform130, the inquiring party may provide callback information, as describedabove, for example, that may be used to notify the inquiring party whenthe phone number is subsequently registered or contact information forthe already registered phone number is subsequently updated (or theaffected party otherwise interacts with emergency platform 130 regardingthe registered phone number). Emergency contact platform 130 may receivethe provided response, for example, using server 140, and store thereceived callback information in database 150, for example, in callbackinformation field 323 of database 320.

In one implementation, the callback information may be used to establisha connection to the affected party when the affected party subsequentlyeither registers the received phone number or updates contactinformation associated with the already registered number (or otherwiseinteracts with emergency contact platform 130.) That is, the inquiringparty may request that they be automatically connected to the affectedparty by emergency contact platform 130 at a later time when theaffected party accesses emergency contact platform 130.

In one implementation, emergency contact platform 130 may prompt theinquiring party to provide an identity of the affected party forassociation with the phone number. This may be particularly useful whenmultiple parties may be associated with the same phone number. Inresponse to the prompt by emergency contact platform 130, the inquiringparty may provide a name or other identification information that may beused to distinguish the affected party from another affected party thatmay be subsequently associated with the phone number. Emergency contactplatform 130 may receive the provided response, for example, usingserver 140, and store the received name in database 150, for example, inaffected party field 325 of database 320.

In either case where emergency contact platform 130 obtains inquiryinformation associated with the phone number, as described above, ordetermines that the inquiring party does not desire to be notified whenthe phone number subsequently becomes registered, emergency contactplatform 130 may determine whether the inquiring party desires thatemergency contact platform 130 provide a message to the affected partyupon subsequent registration of the phone number or updating of theregistered phone number (act 524).

When emergency contact platform 130 determines that the inquiring partydoes not desire that a message be provided to the affected party uponsubsequent registration of the phone number, inquiry handling process500 may end, or, alternately, emergency contact platform 130 may performother acts. When emergency contact platform 130 determines that theinquiring party does desire that a message be provided to the affectedparty upon subsequent registration of the phone number, emergencycontact platform 130 may obtain the message from the inquiring party(act 526).

Emergency contact platform 130 may prompt the inquiring party to providea message for association with the phone number. In response to theprompt by emergency contact platform 130, which may include a menu ofpre-generated messages, the inquiring party may select a pre-generatedmessage or provide a personalized message that may be provided to theaffected party. Emergency contact platform 130 may receive the providedresponse, for example, using server 140. In one implementation,emergency contact platform 130 may store the received message indatabase 150, for example, in message field 324 of database 320. Inanother implementation, emergency contact platform 130 may time and datestamp the message which emergency contact platform 130 may later provideto an affected party or an inquiring party.

At this point, inquiry handling process 500 may end, or, alternatively,emergency contact platform 130 may perform other acts. In oneimplementation, for example, emergency contact platform 130 may generatea notification to a designated affected party and/or inquiring party whohas requested to be notified of any inquiry activity with emergencycontact platform 130 associated with the registered phone number and/orthe affected party.

EXAMPLES

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary emergency contact call flow 600 in whichvarious systems and methods consistent with the principles of theinvention may be implemented.

As shown in FIG. 6, inquiring party 605A may use telephone 610A toconnect to emergency contact platform 130 via network 120 to inquireabout an affected party associated with a telephone number that isunusable due to an emergency event. Inquiring party 605A may call, forexample, a toll-free telephone number to access emergency contactplatform 130. Upon receiving the call, server 140 may provide anintroductory message to inquiring party 605A that provides a status ofemergency conditions in select areas relative to the location of theemergency event.

Server 140 may prompt inquiring party 605A to select between phonenumber registration and inquiring about a phone number. In this example,inquiring party 605A indicates a desire to make an inquiry. Server 140then prompts inquiring party 605A for the phone number of the affectedparty. Assume that inquiring party 605A provides the number,555-555-4444, for example, using a keypad on telephone 610A. In oneimplementation, inquiring party 605A may have first called the number,555-555-4444, which was then automatically forwarded to emergencycontact platform 130, for example, based on the location of the affectedtelephone relative to the area affected by the natural disaster, therebyobviating the need to prompt inquiring party 605A for the number to bequeried.

Server 140 may perform a lookup in database 150 to determine whether thenumber, 555-555-4444, is registered. Assume that the number,555-555-4444, is not registered. Server 140 may prompt inquiring party605A to indicate whether he desires to be notification in the event thatthe number, 555-555-4444, becomes registered. Assume that inquiringparty 605A indicates a desire to not be notified.

Server 140 may prompt inquiring party 605A to indicate whether hedesires to leave a message for the affected party in the event that thenumber, 555-555-4444, becomes registered. Assume that inquiring party605A responds that he does want to leave a message. Server 140 may storethe number, 555-555-4444 in phone number field 321 of database 320, asshown at row 3, of the table of FIG. 3B. Inquiring party 605A mayprovide an audio message that may be recorded and stored as an audiofile in message field 324 of database 320, as shown at row 3, of thetable in FIG. 3B. At this point, the call may end.

Assume later that, affected party 605B uses telephone 610B to connect toemergency contact platform 130 via network 120 for purposes ofregistering the number, 555-555-4444. Affected party 605B may call, forexample, a toll-free telephone number to access emergency contactplatform 130. Upon receiving the call from affected party 605A, server140 may provide an introductory message and/or instructions for usingthe emergency contact service.

Server 140 may prompt user 605B to select between registering a phonenumber and inquiring about a phone number. Assume that affected party605B indicates a desire to register a phone number. Server 140 mayprompt affected party 605B to provide the phone number to be registered.Assume affected party 605B provides the number, 555-555-4444, forexample, using a keypad on telephone 610B.

Server 140 may perform a lookup in database 150 to determine whether thenumber, 555-555-4444, has already been registered or is the subject of aprevious inquiry. In this example, server 140 determines that an inquiryhas been received for the number, 555-555-4444, and is stored indatabase 320, as shown in the third row of the table at FIG. 3B. Server140 may inform affected party 605B that an inquiry has been made. Assumeaffected party 605B indicates a desire to receive the stored message. Inthis example, server 140 provides the stored message to inquiring party605B. Inquiring party 605B may proceed with registering the number,555-555-4444.

CONCLUSION

Systems and methods described herein enable communications betweenparties when it has become difficult or impossible to use the usualtelephone line, by using an emergency contact platform. Communicationsmay be facilitated by registration of the affected telephone number andprocessing an inquiry identifying the affected telephone number.

In this disclosure, there is shown and described preferred embodimentsof the invention, but, as aforementioned, it is to be understood thatthe invention is capable of use in various other combinations andenvironments and is capable of changes or modifications within the scopeof the inventive concept as expressed herein. For example, communicationdevices that may interact with the emergency contact platform via a datanetwork (e.g., the Internet), may include computer devices without voicecapabilities. In addition, the communication device may include a hamradio, a short-wave radio, or another type of two-way radiocommunication device. The date and time of any operation of theemergency contact platform may be recorded and provided upon request.The emergency contact platform may notify a party of another party'sactivity with the emergency contact platform.

In the series of acts described with respect to FIGS. 4-6, the order ofthe acts may be varied in other implementations consistent with thepresent invention. Moreover, non-dependent acts may be performed inparallel.

No element, operation, or instruction used in the description of thepresent application should be construed as critical or essential to theinvention unless explicitly described as such. Also, as used herein, thearticle “a” is intended to include one or more items. Where only oneitem is intended, the term “one” or similar language is used. Further,the phrase “based on” is intended to mean “based, at least in part, on”unless explicitly stated otherwise. The scope of the invention isdefined by the claims and their equivalents.

1. A system comprising: an emergency contact platform including: a server to: receive an inquiry about a phone number associated with a phone that is unavailable due to an emergency event, the inquiry being received from an inquiring party, determine whether the phone number has already been registered, receive notification information from the inquiring party when the phone number is determined not to have already been registered, store the notification information, receive, subsequent to storing the notification information, registration information from a registering party, the registration information including the phone number, store the registration information, and provide the notification information to the registering party in response to receiving the registration information; and a database to: store the received notification information, and store the received registration information, where the server is further to: receive, subsequent to storing the registration information, an information request identifying the phone number, perform a lookup in the database based on the phone number, and provide a result of the lookup based on the received information request.
 2. The system of claim 1, where the server is to receive the registration information via a toll-free call.
 3. The system of claim 1, where the server is to receive the information request via a toll-free call.
 4. The system of claim 1, where the registration information includes alternate contact information, and where the server is further to establish a communication link to the alternate contact information based on the result of the lookup and the received information request.
 5. The system of claim 1, where the information request includes contact information, and where the database is further to store the contact information when the server receives the information request before the the server receives the registration information.
 6. The system of claim 5, where the server is further to generate a notification based on the contact information when the server subsequently receives the registration information.
 7. The system of claim 1, where the information request is received via a call placed to the phone number, and where the server receives the call based on at least one of an area code, an exchange, or a geographic location associated with the phone number.
 8. The system of claim 1, where the registration information includes screening information, where the database is further to store the screening information, and where the server is further to screen the information request based on the stored screening information.
 9. A communications platform comprising: means for receiving an inquiry request, from an inquirer, regarding a telephone number; means for determining, in response to receiving the inquiry request, whether the telephone number has been registered; means for receiving notification information from the inquirer when the telephone number has been determined not to have been registered; means for storing the notification information; means for receiving, subsequent to storing the notification information, registration information from a registrant, where the registration information includes the telephone number and alternate contact information associated with the registrant; means for associating the alternate contact information with the telephone number in a memory; means for providing the notification information to the registrant in response to associating the alternate contact information with the telephone number in the memory; means for receiving an inquiry for the alternate contact information from a second inquirer, where the inquiry identifies at least one of the registrant or the telephone number; means for retrieving the stored alternate contact information based on the inquiry; means for providing the retrieved alternate contact information to the second inquirer; and means for enabling communication between the registrant and the second inquirer using the retrieved alternate contact information.
 10. The communication platform of claim 9, where the means for receiving registration information receives the registration information via atoll-free call.
 11. The communication platform of claim 9, where the means for receiving an inquiry request receive the inquiry request via a toll-free call.
 12. The communication platform of claim 9, further comprising: means for generating a notification based on the stored notification information when the means for receiving the registration information subsequently receives the registration information.
 13. The communication platform of claim 9, where the registration information includes screening information, and where the communication platform further includes: means for screening the inquiry for the alternate contact information based on the stored screening information. 